Arrow Writers To Take Over The Green Arrow Comic

It’s been announced today over at the LA Times Hero Complex that “Arrow” writer and executive producer Andrew Kreisberg and writer Ben Sokolowski will be taking over the Green Arrow comic book for DC starting with issue #35 in October. While some aspects of the show have already made their way into the comic continuity (John Diggle being the biggest one) the plan for Andrew Kreisberg and Ben Sokolowski when writing the comic is to have it be “more about cross-pollination” between the TV show and comic book. Here is a portion of what they told the LA Times Hero Complex about taking over the book in their interview:

Hero Complex: I think the first questions that will be on people’s minds when they see your names on this title are along the lines of, “Will the ‘Green Arrow’ comic become more like the ‘Arrow’ TV series?” “Will, for instance, the show’s versions of Felicity or others feature in the comic?” “When writing the comic-book hero’s dialogue, will you be hearing Stephen Amell’s voice?” So. What can you say to those questions?

Ben Sokolowski: Without giving away too much … yes, some of our favorite “Arrow” characters will feature prominently in the comic. Though they may not necessarily be clones of their TV personas. I think our goal with this comic is to make it an echo of the TV series. It’s a way to bridge the two universes. That being said, we’re not trying to make this “Arrow: The Comic.” That’s what the digital tie-ins are for.

“This is more about cross-pollination. How can we incorporate what is working so well for “Arrow” into the New 52 DCU, while at the same time, keeping what makes the original 2-D Oliver Queen so special. To that end, comic Oliver and TV Oliver have distinct voices and attitudes. We’ll do our best to keep them unique. We really want to bring the old-school Oliver Queen voice back to the character. In other words, the opinionated, liberal Robin Hood-esque hero that has fallen through the cracks a bit, both in the comics and TV models.”

Hero Complex: Mr. Kreisberg, you’d written Oliver Queen before “Arrow,” with a year-plus run on “Green Arrow / Black Canary” before the New 52. With the TV show and comic continuity revamp, this will be the third version of him you’ve written. Do you see the one in “Green Arrow” No. 35 as different from the others, and if so, how so? What, at his core, makes him Oliver Queen across interpretations?

Andrew Kreisberg: I think the version Ben and I are going for now is an amalgamation of the TV version and his comic book persona. As our TV partner, Greg Berlanti, puts it, at his core, Oliver is an optimist. He believes in people. On the TV show, that optimism is buried under years of torture and suffering, but it’s still there. In the comics, he’s been a bit more fun, a bit faster with a quip, so we are trying to add some of that zest for life.

Be sure to check out the full interview with Andrew Kreisberg and Ben Sokolowski over at the LA Times Hero Complex.